So, it's been more than my 30 days of "The Whole 30" "clean eating" cleanse.
I'm adopting this phrase (clean eating) from paleo eaters because in some ways I really like it - that's how it feels, clean of things that don't have a ton of nutritional value or take a toll on our bodies to process. I think it also emphasizes a lesson from this diet: although in the past I've thought that simply eating a lot of healthy foods constituted healthy eating, I think at this point I've noticed that all the other, less-healthy stuff was actually taking a toll on me. So it's not just about trying to "eat more" of the healthy stuff and "less" of the unhealthy stuff - it's actually just rejecting ALL the foods that are stressful on our bodies.
But I digress. I wanted to write an update about how my "Whole 30" went.
Well, overall, I'd say pretty darn well. I went 30 days without added sugar, wheat, or canola oil. I definitely ate in restaurants a few times (where there was inevitably sugar and canola oil added as ingredients to sauces and stuff), and definitely drank a few times (which my body reacted pretty poorly to), but on a day-to-day basis it's been pretty "clean." And I've gotten good results.
First, a catalog of things that haven't changed: I'm still getting pretty strong cramps with my period, still having my face break out beforehand, still growing a nice little beard, still having some persistent pain in my lower back (that seems to get worse with my period). However, everyone tells me that the hormonal stuff takes a bit longer to change than just one month, so I'm holding out. (In fact, the breast tenderness and
Next, a catalog of things that have changed: the expected, the weird and the wonderful!
Some things I've been attacking on multiple fronts, so it's hard to know what caused the change. Namely, my foot. I've been fighting plantar fasciitis for 3-4 years now. In the past month, I've gotten a cortisone injection, started acupuncture and switched to using a heel cup insert in my shoes. (each of these things alone has been reported to cure this condition for some people!) But, end of story: my feet are miraculously heeled :). I can walk, stand, and cook for hours at time with minimal pain - this is down from this summer where I could barely walk because all my shoes hurt so bad :(
Almost instantly with this diet, a few things changed and those have stuck: I wake up with energy whenever I have to in the morning, whether that's 5:30 or 7 a.m. I am also pleasantly sleepy around 10 pm, so I can go to bed early if I want to.
I am not as hungry between meals, so I no longer need to constantly bring snacks with me. And if I do get hungry, I just feel a little sluggish, as opposed to getting terrible headaches and becoming irritable, short-tempered and miserable.
My HAIR! Over this month, my hair has suddenly changed from dry and frizzy in places to curly, bouncy and well-mosturized. This shocked the hell outta me - I had read that diet could affect hair, but I didn't really believe it. And I feel wicked bad for all those girls on low-fat diets that always fret over their limp, frizzy or volume-less hair - if only they knew!
Also, my skin is not as dry as it was before, and I feel like I actually look younger and more "radiant" (ditto on the ladies spending millions on skin care products...just eat an avocado every other day and you'll be fine! :)
Weird: flexibility! I can now do yoga poses I couldn't do before ?!??!?!?
In general, I feel balanced and productive, with fairly even energy through the day (even on days when I didn't sleep as much). I don't usually get headaches during the day. I don't feel as stiff when I wake up and my muscles and joints don't have that slight stiffness or soreness.
I don't feel bloated or uncomfortable after meals. I don't really crave sugary things. When I do eat fruit or other slightly sweet things, they taste AMAZING - as good as any sugary treat I had before. (this part is kind of surprising).
I don't feel phlemgy or have a stuffy nose (which I usually do this time of year).
Last, (but not least to my vain-ass self) - I lost ten pounds in four weeks! Without limiting calories (at all - seriously, I ate bacon several times a week!) or even doing much exercise (I've been doing yoga a few times a week and trying to walk every day for at least 20 minutes). The last time I lost this much weight, it took six months and a pretty consistent gym habit. I'm pretty floored by this last part. I have yet to measure my belly, but just from looking at myself, that part of me looks smaller.
In a few months I'll get my levels tested: cholesterol, adrogens and thyroid (which my doctor told me was off after my last cholesterol test on, like, day 3 of the Whole 30) and see if things have changed at all.
So, what does this mean for the future? I certainly miss the hell out of eating grilled cheese, English muffins, raviolis, butter, cream in my coffee, pasta, pastries and cheese in general. However, at the same time, I'm not willing to give up this good feeling (and, let's be honest, this weight loss!). It's also hard feeling a little bit like a pariah - I don't eat the same things as other people now, so it makes me a bit of a pain in the ass to have as a guest, order at a restaurant, or be offered candy (sigh).
It's hard to weigh... my love of cheese versus my happiness over not having a stuff nose? My deep-seated desire for crusty bread versus my love of having a flat (er) belly? But at the end of the day, I feel like the energy thing is what tips the balance. I'm actually scared of starting to eat "regular" again, because I'm afraid that the foods I love will make me lose the energy I have now. It just colors my whole day: it used to be that if I didn't get enough sleep, I'd just drag through a day, feeling not only sluggish but also down and depressed, or my stress response would be through the roof. I also always felt like I was running behind the clock.
Now, getting up early I have time to cook, linger with coffee, exercise and still get all my work done without scrambling late at night. It makes my whole life feel organized and like I'm ahead of the game.
At the same time, it freaks me out a little - what was I eating before that made me feel achy and low-energy, that made my hair dry and my weight go up? What was in that food, anyway? Are we slowly poisoning ourselves by eating "normal" food? Is a diet that's full of industrial meats, canola/soy oil, sugar, hormone laden milk and white flour so bad for us that we might be actually better off living in a third-world country (albeit, being economically and financially well-off in that third world country)? I remember in Ecuador, the cows were all "free range" because that was what cows did there, and Moms, ever slave to their gender traditions, made fruit shakes out of real fruit, and fresh soup with homemade broth every night. We American girls were all so terrified of eating a diet completely saturated in carbs (rice AND potatoes with every meal), but in the end, it might've been better for us.
So, enough ruminating (ha ha). This week is going to be my "test week" where I test dairy, wheat, grains and, if I feel like it, legumes. I already have my yogurt and cheese picked out for tomorrow, plus English muffins for Saturday (I have a dream of visiting the North End to pick up fresh pasta for that evening). I'll let you know how it goes!
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